Book Review

The Women's Freedom Network Newsletter January/February & 2003, Vol. 10, No. 1 Women Working It Out: Career Plans and Business Decisions (University Press of America, Inc.) 176 pp.; ISBN 0-7618-2493-6 $30.00 by Julianne Nelson An Interview by WFN Staff

Q:  What were you trying to accomplish by writing this book?

"I wanted to give women practical advice they could use as they make career decisions. These decisions include things like changing jobs, re-entering the workforce as an employee, or going to work for themselves. I also hoped to give practical management advice for women choosing the scale of a business or a variety of things they want to do.

Q:   What do you mean by "practical advice"?

"What I hoped to do was take the commonsense principles that are at the heart of economics and provide examples both general and specific of how to put these principles into practice. Overall, I can say that I wanted to give the reader specific examples of how to use the general principles and templates that can be adapted when the reader uses the principles herself."

Q:  What do you think is the most important message readers should get from your book?

"The major message I think is the importance of looking at the impact of the change whether it is fine tuning a life style or making a major lifetime change."

Julianne Nelson has this to say about "Women Working It Out":

Ever think about truning a hobby into a commercial venture? Or working full time as an independent contractor? Or simply wondering if textbook economic principles are relevant in real life? Through a sequence of short cases, this book shows you how to use the basic tools of economic and financial analysis to answer common business questions such as : whether or not a new business venture makes economic sense for you; when to hire extra help; what variety of products and services to offer; what producation porcess to use and what pricing strategies to follow. Includes glossary, index and business templates that can be adapted for any commercial venture. Appropriate for both personal and classroom use.

Table of Contents

---

1. Preface:  An Invitation to Consider
   
2. The Consequences of Changing the Status Quo:
   The opportunity Cost of Change; Computing Hourly Earnings; Try it yourself!
   
3. Hour By Hour: Working as a Contractor
   Just Breaking Even; Finding Equal Job Satisfaction; Working as a Part-Time Contractor; Try It Yourself!
   
4. Selling Your Products, Not Your Time:
   Business Earnings and Opportunity Costs in General; Business Earnings and Opportunity Costs in Practice; Taxable Income and Gains From New Ventures; Try It Yourself!
   
5. Growing Your Business and Your Profits:
   Why Marginal?; Your Desired Scale of Operation; The Cost of Expanding Production; The Benefit of Expanding Production; Choosing the Scale of a Service Business; The Principles in Practice: Average Versus Marginal Costs; Lessons Learned; Try It Yourself!
   
6. Pricing Your Goods and Services:
   Selling More at a Lower Price; Pricing Strategies to Avoid; The Principles in Practice: More Pricing Examples; Lessons Learned; Try It Yourself!
   
7. Asking the Right Question:
   Using the Best Available Information; Marginal Cost and General Marketing Strategies; Accounting for Common Costs; Lessons Learned
   
8. Where Do We Go From Here?
   Online Resources; Books of Interest; Glossary; Index.